Ready Player Two – Let Me Out

I just wanted a scavenger hunt. I wanted another romp through Ernest Cline’s OASIS, made so popular by his mega-hit novel Ready Player One. I wanted a book that didn’t make me question what I ever saw in its predecessor. Instead, I got a disjointed series of lazy spectacles,  paper-thin characters, a dangerous love letter…

Armada – A Great Idea With Not Enough Substance

Ernest Cline is one of my favorite authors. Ever since his release of Ready Player One I have been impressed with his talent for getting a giant and exciting story in such a small package. His next book, Armada, is in a really unfortunate spot in the minds of readers. It is following in the…

Standalone Novels: Small Books With Big Stories

I am a sucker for huge sweeping stories. Two of my all time favorite series are The Black Company and Malazan. At about 10 books each, they are masterpieces of world building, plot intricacies, and character development. But they are not good because they are long; they are good despite being overly long. One of…